A Well-Prepared Household (Not a Contest Entry)

Notes:  There are quite a few today.  

The first is that I am in Blogger time-out again and I cannot reply to any comments any of you make.  I don't know what I did or how to get out.  :(  I am happy to note that I will be reaching my goal of moving from Blogger to some other platform by the end of the year.  I don't know exactly how soon.   A friend of my son, Jared, asked if he could transition this blog for me as a service project, one of the projects he needs to complete for his BS in computer science.  I gladly accepted.  He will preserve the appearance while making it a lot more user-friendly for all of us. 

Good Eats at the TEOTWAWKI Café, Volume 2:  Condiments, Sauces, Seasonings, and More Homemade Essentials Using Food Storage is now available on Amazon.  I apologize that the cover doesn’t match the other food storage books.  I contracted for five different covers for my family to choose from, one of which was supposed to be in the same style as the other food storage books.  That one was my favorite; most everyone else preferred this cover.  I thought about publishing the book with two different covers, but then decided that might lead to confusion.  It is what it is.  If I’d realized at the beginning that I would be writing more books, I would have done things differently.  Anyway, here it is.  I hope you like it.  And if you do, please leave a review on Amazon if you can.  I’d really appreciate it.  And if you can’t, I understand.  It’s a crazy world we live in.

Many thanks to Anonymous for her thoughts. See if there is anything on her list that you need to add to your preps. 

By way of reminder, this is the last week of the writing contest. (Where did the summer go?!) Get your entries in for a chance to win the PSD book of your choice. And another reminder--so far there are no entries for this month!

 

Unless you are going to be like the starving Indians and eat the meat right off the freshly hunted deer, there are skills and tools that will be needed for any number of future scenarios. I put the effort into these simple lists in the hopes that it will propel some to get better prepared for a time that is much different. Not even necessarily one without electricity or water. Life might just toss a grenade into our pleasant lives and what will we do at that point? I, for one, have no intention of watching those I love suffer. So, I get to work. I relearn and learn anew skills that are very old. As a historian, I know how difficult life was for many people in the past. The life expectancy for a serf was 30 years old. Not on my watch.

As a child of unusual parents who were not Anabaptist nor hippies but reveled in producing everything we could ourselves on our little farm, I have participated in that unusual life. Do I remember? Maybe, maybe not. So, I’m practicing. 

Here are the lists of items that I have in my household. They are all nonelectric (I may have the electric one, but make sure I also have the nonelectric):

1. Grinders 

1. Grain

2. Nut and seed

3. Coffee

4. Meat

5. Sausage stuffer and supplies

2. Cheese making supplies (I like New England Cheese Making Supply Co.)

1. Cheese press

2. Cheese cloth

3. Freeze dried cheese making starters

4. Rennet

5. Utensils

6. Wax

3. Butchering supplies (look them up online as there are lots)

1. Books as well. My husband’s grandfather that he lived next door to was a butcher. He helped his grandfather growing up and still has many gaps. These skills are lost so very quickly. Learn now before they are really needed.

4. Beekeeping supplies (also look up and try to join a group) 

5. Chicken keeping and processing supplies (lots of good information online)

6. Books – don’t expect to be able to remember even the basic of recipes under stress. 

7. Paper, pencils and pens 

8. Water filtration and storage – kitchens use a lot of water! 

1. We use a Big Berkey and have for decades. Love it

9. Aprons – I have no desire to do more laundry without electricity than I have to

1. Kitchen aprons

2. BBQ aprons

3. Butchering aprons (there is a lot of bloody mess with butchering)

4. I think I’ll also cover my hair to keep it cleaner and out of the food

10. Washing supplies

1. A hand wringer (Lehman’s)

2. Wash tub (will also be used for bathing and butchering)

3. Washboards

4. Plunger

5. Drying racks

6. Laundry line and hardware to install

7. Clothes pins

8. Soap supplies and bucket and grater

11. Canning supplies – with the resurgence of canning, loads of info online

1. I bought some Tattler lids, but haven’t tried them – has anyone?

2. Check the vinegar is 5%

3. I like Pomona's pectin 

4. Canning salt and spices

5. Jar lifters with rubber ends are a godsend

12. Containers

1. Crocks for fermenting, storing cooked meats in lard, and for honey

2. Wash tub (again)

3. Water carrying 

4. Buckets with handles

5. Food storage grade buckets

6. Bowls of all sizes and kinds (ceramic, glass, plastic and metal)

13. Basic kitchen items

1. Wooden utensils (some things cannot be made with metal)

2. Whips

3. Manual knife sharpener

4. Matches and other fire starters

5. Baking pans of all types and made of glass, ceramic, silicone, and metal

6. Pie tins and such of all types

7. Manual can openers (yes, more than one)

8. Chopper

9. Knives

10. Blender (mine is still in the box as its hand cranked)

11. Yogurt maker (wonderful item)

12. Metal utensils 

13. Strainers of all sized

14. Graters 

15. Spatulas 

16. Butter storer 

17. Mortar and pestle

18. Pastry blender

19. Double boiler

20. Steamer

21.  Splatter screen for pan frying

22. Cast-iron pans and such as you’d like

23. Fly swatters and fly hanging strips

24. Scissors 

25. Lettuce and greens spinner

26. Candles and sprinkles – they last forever and make life a little more fun!

27. Bag closures of some sort

28. Spoon rests

29. Rolling pins (regular, French, marble)

30. Thermometers (cheese, candy, meat, oven, fridge)

31. Cleaning rags (I love old cotton tees cut up)

32. Non-electric scales (large enough for canning)

33. Timers 

34. Need I say to stack your dish soap to the ceiling?

14. Dried starters

1. Cheeses

2. Yeast

3. Sourdough

4. yogurt

15. Gloves

1. Kitchen

2. First aid

3. Insulated

4. Tough for working outside

5. Gardening (mine are goat hide)

16. Dehydrating 

1. Old screens

2. I am eyeing an herb drying hanging one I saw on Amazon

17. Milking supplies if you intend to milk

18. Soap making supplies if you intend to make soap

19. Maple Syrup making supplies if you live in that area and intend to make that yummy syrup

20. Pasta making supplies 

21. Coolers

22. Wood and plastic cutting boards

23. Hand dish washing set up – I love the drying mats, too

24. Cookie trays, drying racks and silicone baking sheets 

25. Mouse and bug Proof everything (you would be horrified at the number of mice and bugs that were in the kitchen. We won’t even mention rats. Ewwwww) And, they can chew through plastic – ugh!

1. Old tins are perfect

2. Jars

3. Traps and bucket traps

4. Cookie jars

5. Food storage glass containers with secure lids– grains, legumes, etc.

6. Bread box

26. Fermentation equipment

1. I bought a boxed kit that only required wide mouth jars to try (haven’t tried it yet)

2. Crocks as well for larger needs

On my list of wants:

1. Icebox

2. Stove top oven

3. Large Washtub

4. Wood cookstove

5. Snares 

I enjoy watching these YouTube videos:

Townsends

Ruth Goodman videos

I also enjoy living museums. I’ve worked at some and they were fun jobs! Maybe you would have the opportunity for your children to volunteer at one or you could send them to a history camp. Wonderful experiences for my children! 

I know there is more and I’m sure I’ll remember later, but here is a start.